Automotive finishes often suffer from the deteriorative effects of surface oxidation of the paint from sunlight, crazing from cracks in the color coat, discoloration from contaminants and water spotting. Cleaning products for automotive finishes are intended to remove road grime and oxidized paint without stripping off or otherwise adversely affecting the finish.
Automotive finishes typically include a base coat containing color pigments or metal flake and a clear acrylic top coat. A polish cleans and shines the finish on an automobile surface in a single step to combine the advantages of cleaners and polishes that require two application steps. A cleaner usually contains fine abrasives intended to remove road dirt, insects, tree sap, etc., where a polish typically contains milder abrasives for removing stains and scuff marks. A shortcoming of the existing cleaners and polishes is that the clear top coat finish can be scratched, dulled, and removed by cleaners and polishes that contain abrasives.
Automotive polishes may be either solvent-based or aqueous emulsions in solid, semi-solid or liquid form and generally contain abrasives, hydrocarbon solvents, waxes, silicones, and water. The polishes generally contain about 1-3 percent silicone polymers, which improve wax film lubricity and gloss, and to provide a hydrophobic coating on the automobile finish. Other polishes may contain as much as about 4-7 percent silicone polymers in place of waxes to provide a finish having durability and increased resistance to detergents. Abrasives that are used include diatomaceous earths, amorphous silicas, aluminum silicates, and clays, for example. In order to effectively clean and polish large surfaces, an abrasive must be used having an average particle size of about 0.1 to about 7 microns, which may scratch the finishes on automobiles.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an exterior cleaning composition that has the characteristic and performance of an abrasive cleaner and polish, but is non-scratching for modern automotive finishes. In addition, there is a need for an interior cleaning composition that is effective to polish plastic moldings and also that can remove stain and spills while having a pleasing aroma.